What we call the beginning is often the end And to make and end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. And every phrase And sentence that is right (where every word is at home, Taking its place to support the others, The word neither diffident nor ostentatious, An […]
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Palm Sunday
Posted on by James Woodward
Palm Sunday is the sixth and last Sunday of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week. The feast commemorates an event witnessed by all four Gospels: the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion. This entry is re-enacted in the main service of the day as palms are […]
Do not forget the poor!
Posted on by James Woodward
G20 leaders must not forget promises to the poor – Religious Leaders Communiqué In a communiqué issued in advance of the G20 meeting in London, they call on political leaders to consider the moral issues at the root of the current financial crisis, and to pay special attention to the needs of poor, marginalised and […]
Spirituality and Ageing
Posted on by James Woodward
Spirituality and Aging Robert C. Atchley John Hopkins University Press Maryland 2009 13: 978-0-8018-9119-9 There are a growing number of people who are consumers of literature, retreats, and personal growth programs concerning spirituality. In this admirably concise and important book a retired American teacher of Gerontology offers a contribution to the growing literature which struggles […]
Morals and Money……
Posted on by James Woodward
I thought this worth reading as world leaders gather today in London Interview with Radio 4 ‘Today’ programme ahead of G20 summit Tuesday 31 March 2009 The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams spoke with Jim Naughtie on Radio 4’s ‘Today’ program about the moral impact of the recession, ahead of the G20 summit […]
The Young Victoria
Posted on by James Woodward
Man cannot live by packing boxes alone! And the trouble with lists is that every time one item gets knocked off another two take their place….. so after some shopping for a lunch party I went to the cinema! And here is a tip – turn up and take your chance! If you have some […]
In Praise of ……
Posted on by James Woodward
The Shredder Sorry to bore you with the ongoing saga of moving – but the process has uncovered all kinds of delights! In a cuboard long since forgotton I uncovered historical documents of mind blowing insignificance! Here are some examples: Details of all the cars I have ever owned – six in total – including […]
Selfridges – Birmingham
Posted on by James Woodward
My parents arrives this weekend to say good bye to good old Brum and especially dear old Temple Balsall. I decided to park their bag safely in the car and go for a wander. My attempt to buy a copy of Pesvner failed and I couldnt spot anything else interesting on the New shlves of […]
Approaching Holy Week
Posted on by James Woodward
a lion of courage When death comes like the hungry bear in autumn; when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse to buy me, and snaps the purse shut; when death comes like the measle-pox: when death comes like an iceberg between the shoulder blades, I want to step through […]
The power of Art
Posted on by James Woodward
Regular readers of my blog will know of my interest and enthusiasm for art! One of the tasks of the removals people will be to safe guard a number of images that have become life enhancing for me on my spiritual journey. In St Mary’s Church some years ago we embarked on the hanging of […]
God and Money
Posted on by James Woodward
Amidst the perplexing world of economics I came across this piece which is worth reflecting on. The past months have seen the most chaotic and severe malfunction of the banking system since the 1920s, writes Sabina Alkire as she offers a Christian perspective on the economic climate. Billions of pounds have been wiped off […]
Sir Terry Frost
Posted on by James Woodward
On Monday I wrote about Terry Frost – and then came across this excellent Obit which is worth reading: From The Times September 3, 2003 Sir Terry Frost Exuberant artist whose decades-long adventure in abstraction remained firmly grounded in a love of natural forms One of the best loved of British artists, Terry Frost […]
Questions and Answers?
Posted on by James Woodward
I beg you…. to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foriegn language. Don’t search for the answers which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. […]
Terry Frost
Posted on by James Woodward
Packing up home is always an interesting combination of hell and liberation – amongst my clutter are soem lovely Frost images – do you know his work? Sir Terry Frost R.A (born Terence Ernest Manitou Frost) was an English artist noted for his abstracts. Born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire England, in 1915, he did not […]
Chris Mullen
Posted on by James Woodward
A View from the Foothills: Diaries of Chris Mullen, Profile Books I thought twice about purchasing this book, but two things clinched the deal with Waterstones – you hardly need any more of my money! The first was the inevitable tease of £5 off the retail price and the second was that Chris […]
Good
Posted on by James Woodward
The old man comes out on the hill and looks down to recall earlier days in the valley. He sees the stream shine, the church stand, hears the litter of children’s voices. A chill in the flesh tells him that death is not far off now: it is the shadow under the great boughs […]
Blessing or Curse? You decide!
Posted on by James Woodward
1 million spams and a virus bring down Bishop of Manchester & Church of England email systems. The central offices of the Diocese of Manchester were without email from 3-13 March (10 days) following a virus infecting its servers and an unprecedented amount of spam. The problems have also affected the Bishops of […]
Be Free
Posted on by James Woodward
Rumi has written some of the most astonishing poetry – read on In the end you disappeared, gone beyond sight Strange, the path you took, leaving this world Strange how the beat of your wings destroyed the cage And you flew to the world of the soul. You were a nightingale, drunk amidst the […]
Memory Lingers Here
Posted on by James Woodward
I sat in Newcastle City Centre on a Friday morning amidst the great cathedrals of that place – the shops and cafes full of worshippers and looking quite satisfied with their commitments to these rituals. I picked up my mug of fair-trade coffee and sat outside in the square watching the world go by. […]
Clementine Churchill
Posted on by James Woodward
Clementine Churchill by Mary Soames (Doubleday 2002) One of the great wonders and advantages of second-hand book shops is the real sense of getting a bargain! Don’t you love buying something at a fraction of its original price and somehow feeling that you are pounds in – only to realise, of course, later that […]